CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless docking systems, and
more particularly, to apparatus and methods for utilizing a wireless charger in a
wireless docking environment.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication
services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks,
which are usually multiple access networks, support communications for multiple users
by sharing the available network resources.
[0003] Recent interest has been directed toward WLAN connectivity, and in particular, to
wireless docking systems. A wireless docking system can provide seamless connectivity
between a portable device ("dockee") such as a mobile handset, PDA, tablet computer,
etc., and a group of peripheral devices, by way of a docking host. That is, the docking
host can intermediate between the dockee and the peripherals. Here, peripheral devices
can be any of numerous types, such as a mouse, keyboard, display, printer, camera,
speakers, mass storage devices, media servers, sensors, and many others.
[0004] Meanwhile, wireless chargers are known in the art, and provide the capability to
charge battery-powered devices without any physical attachment or plug between the
battery-powered device and the wireless charger. For example, inductive charging may
be utilized, wherein energy is transferred from the wireless charger to the battery-powered
device by way of inductive coupling between respective coils at each device. In the
literature, such devices might additionally be referred to as contactless energy transfer
devices.
[0005] As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, research and development
continue to advance wireless technologies not only to meet the growing demand for
mobile broadband access, but to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile
communications.
[0006] The document
US 2010/081473 A1 discloses a mobile computing device ('MCD') and docking station ('dock') that are
individually equipped with features and components that enable charging/power signals
to be communicated from the dock to the MCD without use of connectors. Other examples
provide for the MCD or the dock to identify an orientation of the MCD as retained
on the docking station. As an addition or alternative, magnetic coupling may be used
to maintain and/or orient the two devices in a mated position.
[0007] The document
US 2010/131691 A1 discloses a similar system whereby credential data are sent to the MCD by the docking
station. A pairing operation also occurs between the two devices.
SUMMARY
[0008] According to the present invention, a method as set forth in claim 1, a method as
set forth in claim 6, docking host as set forth in claim 11, a dockee as set forth
in claim 12, and a computer-readable storage medium as set forth in claim 13 are provided.
[0009] Embodiments of the invention are claimed in the dependent claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for
an apparatus employing a processing system.
FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram of a dockee, peripheral, and docking host as
may be utilized for direct pairing according to one example.
FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic diagram of a wireless docking system utilizing a
docking environment according to one example.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless docking environment including
a wireless docking host having an integrated wireless charger according to one example.
FIG. 5 is a simplified block diagram illustrating some of the components of a wireless
docking host-charger in accordance with one example.
FIG. 6 is a call flow diagram illustrating a use case for a wireless docking environment
including a wireless host-charger in accordance with one example.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram illustrating a wireless docking environment including
a wireless docking host-display and a wireless charger as a peripheral in accordance
with one example.
FIG. 8 is a simplified block diagram illustrating some of the components of a wireless
docking host-display in accordance with one example.
FIG. 9 is a call flow diagram illustrating a use case for a wireless docking environment
including a wireless charger as a peripheral in accordance with one example.
FIG. 10 is a call flow diagram illustrating a use case for a wireless docking environment
including a wireless charger as a peripheral in accordance with another example.
FIG. 11 is a flow chart illustrating a process of establishing a docking session with
a wireless docking host-charger in accordance with one example.
FIG. 12 is a flow chart illustrating a process of establishing a docking session with
a wireless docking host-charger in accordance with another example.
FIG. 13 is a flow chart illustrating a process of establishing a docking session with
a wireless docking host-charger in accordance with another example.
FIG. 14 is a flow chart illustrating a process of enabling a wireless charging function
at a wireless charger utilizing a wireless docking environment in accordance with
one example.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0011] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings
is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent
the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The
detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough
understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in
the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some
instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in
order to avoid obscuring such concepts.
[0012] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation
for an apparatus 100 employing a processing system 114. In accordance with various
aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any
combination of elements may be implemented with a processing system 114 that includes
one or more processors 104. For example, in various aspects, the apparatus 100 may
represent any one or more of a wireless dockee, a wireless docking host, and/or a
peripheral device. Examples of processors 104 that may be utilized in an apparatus
100 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field
programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines,
gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to
perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure.
[0013] In this example, the processing system 114 may be implemented with a bus architecture,
represented generally by the bus 102. The bus 102 may include any number of interconnecting
buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 114
and the overall design constraints. The bus 102 links together various circuits including
one or more processors (represented generally by the processor 104), a memory 105,
and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium
106). The bus 102 may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals,
voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art,
and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface 108 provides an
interface between the bus 102 and a transceiver 110. The transceiver 110 provides
a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium.
Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface 112 (e.g., keypad, display,
speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.
[0014] The processor 104 is responsible for managing the bus 102 and general processing,
including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium 106. The
software, when executed by the processor 104, causes the processing system 114 to
perform the various functions described infra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable
medium 106 may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor
104 when executing software.
[0015] One or more processors 104 in the processing system may execute software. Software
shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments,
program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications,
software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution,
procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware,
microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software may reside on
a computer-readable medium 106. The computer-readable medium 106 may be a non-transitory
computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way
of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip),
an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart
card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access
memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM
(EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removable disk, and
any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed
and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium may also include, by way of example,
a carrier wave, a transmission line, and any other suitable medium for transmitting
software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable
medium 106 may reside in the processing system 114, external to the processing system
114, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 114.
The computer-readable medium 106 may be embodied in a computer program product. By
way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium
in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement
the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the
particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.
[0016] One or more aspects of the disclosure relate to wireless docking systems. A wireless
docking system can provide seamless connectivity, enabling a portable device such
as a mobile handset, PDA, tablet computer, etc. to connect with a group of peripheral
devices without needing wires or a docking connector, a PIN code or elaborate pairing
process for between the dockee and each individual peripheral. The peripherals in
any docking environment may act as a group, which needs only to be set up once. Many
different types of peripherals may be supported in a docking environment, including
the bridging of legacy peripherals. Ideally, the best link, protocol, and QoS would
be automatically set up for each type of peripheral connection. The best connection
may be selected depending on the application (e.g., for a productivity application,
for watching videos, or for playing games, etc.), and the environment (e.g., the home
enterprise, internet café, etc.). Here, existing application sessions/connections
may be left intact.
[0017] FIG. 2 includes a simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplary peripheral 210,
an exemplary docking host 220, and an exemplary dockee 230 in accordance with some
aspects of the disclosure. In the illustrated example, the peripheral 210 includes
at least one processor 211, a memory 213 communicatively coupled to the at least one
processor 211, a communication interface 212 communicatively coupled to the at least
one processor 211, and optional peripheral function circuitry 214. In some aspects
of the disclosure, the at least one processor 211 may be the processor 104 included
in the processing system 114 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1; similarly,
the memory 212 may be the memory 105 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0018] In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication interface 212 may be a wireless
interface configured for communication with a docking host 220. For example, the communication
interface 212 may include a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of the family of standards
defined under the IEEE 802.11 standards, an IEEE 802.15.1 "Bluetooth" interface (e.g.,
configured according to Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) standards), an IEEE 802.15.4 "ZigBee"
interface, or any other suitable wireless communication interface. Of course, some
examples of a peripheral 210 may include two or more of the above-described or other
communication interfaces. Further, when included in a peripheral 210, the peripheral
function circuitry 214 may be embodied in any number of ways, including for example
a user interface, a display, microphone, speaker, network interface, wireless charger,
etc.
[0019] Further, in the illustrated example, the docking host 220 includes at least one processor
221, a communication interface 222 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor
221, a memory 223 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 221, and host
function circuitry 224 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 221.
In some aspects of the disclosure, the at least one processor 221 may be the processor
104 included in the processing system 114 described above and illustrated in FIG.
1; similarly, the memory 223 may be the memory 105 described above and illustrated
in FIG. 1.
[0020] In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication interface 222 may include
a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of the family of standards defined under the
IEEE 802.11 standards, an IEEE 802.15.1 "Bluetooth" interface (e.g., configured according
to Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) standards), an IEEE 802.15.4 "ZigBee" interface, or
any other suitable wireless communication interface. Of course, some examples of a
docking host 220 may include two or more of the above-described or other communication
interfaces. Further, when included in a docking host 220, the host function circuitry
224 may be embodied in any number of ways, including for example a user interface,
a display, microphone, speaker, network interface, wireless charger, etc.
[0021] Still further, in the illustrated example, the dockee 230 includes at least one processor
231, a communication interface 232 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor
231, a memory 233 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 231, a user
interface 234 communicatively coupled to the at least one processor 231, and in some
examples, wireless charging circuitry 235. In some aspects of the disclosure, the
at least one processor 231 may be the processor 104 included in the processing system
114 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1; similarly, the memory 232 may be the
memory 105 described above and illustrated in FIG. 1.
[0022] In various aspects of the disclosure, the communication interface 232 may include
a Wi-Fi interface compatible with any of the family of standards defined under the
IEEE 802.11 standards, an IEEE 802.15.1 "Bluetooth" interface (e.g., configured according
to Bluetooth Low Energy (BTLE) standards), an IEEE 802.15.4 "ZigBee" interface, or
any other suitable wireless communication interface. Of course, some examples of a
dockee 230 may include two or more of the above-described or other communication interfaces.
[0023] In a further aspect of the disclosure, the dockee 230 may include a user interface
234 for input/output functionality enabling communication between a user and the wireless
docking system. As an illustrative but non-limiting example, the dockee 230 may be
embodied as a smartphone or tablet device, including a touch-screen interface providing
user input and output functionality. Moreover, the wireless charging circuitry 235
at the dockee 230 may include suitable circuitry such as, but not limited to, an inductive
coil, a resonant circuit, tuning circuitry, and/or any other suitable circuits, modules,
or components to enable wireless charging of a battery at the dockee 230.
[0024] A wireless docking system may provide a wireless connection between a wireless dockee
and a wireless docking environment. FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic diagram that
illustrates a wireless docking system 300 including a dockee 230 in wireless communication
with a plurality of peripherals 210, 310 by way of a wireless docking host 220, as
a part of a wireless docking environment 306.
[0025] The dockee 230 may be any suitable device capable of wirelessly connecting to the
wireless docking environment 306 utilizing any suitable communication protocol, which
may include but is not limited to IEEE 802.11 "Wi-Fi." By connecting to the wireless
docking environment 306, the dockee 230 may be capable of connecting directly or indirectly
to each of the peripherals 210 that are part of the wireless docking environment 306.
[0026] The wireless docking environment 306 is a group of one or more physical devices,
including one or more wireless docking hosts 220 and one or more peripherals 210.
A wireless docking environment 306 can take any suitable configuration or topology,
for example, including nothing more than a wireless docking host 220, or additionally
including one or more peripherals 210.
[0027] The peripherals 210 may represent logical peripheral functions. In general, a peripheral
function may be any I/O function implemented in a wireless docking host 220 that can
be made available to a wireless dockee 230 through any of various suitable wireless
interfaces, or any I/O function in an external peripheral device 210 that can be made
available to the wireless dockee 230 through the wireless docking host 220, where
the external peripheral device may be directly connected to the wireless docking host
220. Peripherals 210 may in some examples be embodied as physical devices having wired
and/or wireless interfaces for communicating with the wireless dockee 230 through
the wireless docking host 220. Some nonlimiting examples of peripherals might include
LCD monitors or other display devices, utilizing, e.g., an HDMI or VGA interface;
speakers, microphones a keyboard, mouse, printer, scanner, camera, a mass storage
device, etc. utilizing any suitable wired or wireless interface, such as USB; general
purpose USB ports or hubs for coupling any suitable USB-compatible device; Ethernet
ports for coupling to a network; or any other suitable device.
[0028] In the illustration, some peripherals 210 are shown in the wireless docking environment
306, and an extra peripheral 310 is shown outside the wireless docking environment
306. Here, this extra peripheral 310 illustrates that not necessarily all peripherals
210, 310 that are paired with the wireless docking host 220 are included in a particular
wireless docking environment 306. That is, a wireless docking environment 306 associated
with a wireless docking host 220 may include only a subset of the peripherals 210,
310 that are paired with, or in communication with the docking host 220. Moreover,
the extra peripheral 310 may be one of numerous extra peripherals 310, and further,
the wireless docking host 220 may provide a plurality of wireless docking environments
such as the environment 306. Here, the set of peripherals 210 in a particular wireless
docking environment 306 may include any number, from zero or greater, of peripherals,
and further, in some examples, a particular peripheral 210, 310 may be included in
zero, one, two, or more established wireless docking environments 306.
[0029] The wireless docking host 220 may be any suitable device capable of connecting to
the wireless dockee 230 and one or more peripherals 210. For example, a wireless docking
host 220 may make available to a wireless dockee 230 peripheral functions on external
peripherals 210 that are connected to the docking host 220 directly, as well as peripheral
functions the wireless docking host 220 itself may implement (e.g., a display).
[0030] The docking host 220 may provide different docking experiences or docking environments
306 to different dockees 230. For example, at a given time a dockee 230 may have a
particular need for certain peripheral functions, and upon learning of this need,
the docking host 220 may therefore provide a corresponding docking environment 306
for that dockee.
[0031] One example of a way for a docking host 220 to provide these capabilities to different
dockees 230 is for the docking host 220 to preconfigure multiple docking environments
306. That is, multiple groups of peripherals 210 can be preconfigured at the docking
host 220, e.g., by randomly selecting groups of available peripherals 210 or by selecting
certain peripherals to be grouped together. Here, each group may be a logical group
including suitable peripherals 210, which may be manually or automatically configured
with the docking host 220.
[0032] In this example, the docking host 220 may group its attached and/or wirelessly paired
peripherals 210 into multiple hierarchical groups and enable each dockee to use one
group. For example, assume that a particular docking host 220 has peripherals A-G
available. Here, peripherals A, B, and C may be grouped together into a first group,
and peripherals D, E, F, and G may be grouped together into a second group. This way,
the groups may be disjoint groups of peripherals. In another example, peripherals
A, B, and C may be grouped together into a first group, and peripherals C, D, and
E may be grouped together into a second group. This way, the groups may have some
intersection or overlap of peripherals.
[0033] With a hierarchical grouping, separate groups of peripherals might be disjoint groups,
and separate groups might have a common parent. For the common parent, peripherals
A, B, C, D, E, and F might be a parent group in the hierarchy, and at the next level
of the hierarchy, groups might include, for example, peripherals A, B, and C as a
first group; and peripherals D, E, and F as a second group. By utilizing such groups
of peripherals, each such group can be considered a separate wireless docking environment
306 as discussed above. That is, a particular wireless docking host 220 may be capable
of providing any from a plurality of wireless docking environments 306 to a particular
wireless dockee 230, each wireless docking environment 306 including a different group
of peripherals that may be one of a plurality of preconfigured hierarchical groups.
[0034] As introduced above, wireless chargers have been known in the art, and provide the
capability to charge battery-powered devices without any physical attachment or plug
between the battery-powered device and the wireless charger. For example, inductive
charging may be utilized, wherein energy is transferred from a primary coil in a wireless
charger to a secondary coil in a battery-powered device by way of inductive coupling
between the respective coils at each device. In the literature, such devices might
additionally be referred to as inductive charging or contactless energy transfer.
[0035] One or more aspects of the present disclosure relate to the use and performance of
a wireless docking environment 306 that includes a wireless charger. For illustrative
but nonlimiting purposes, the functionality of a wireless docking environment including
a wireless charger is described herein below in two specific examples. In the first
example, illustrated in FIGs. 4-6, the wireless charger itself is integrated as a
unit with the wireless docking host. In the second example, illustrated in FIGs. 7-10,
the wireless charger is a peripheral, communicatively coupled with a separate docking
host.
Wireless Docking Host-Charger
[0036] FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating an aspect of the disclosure
that includes a host-charger 402. Here, the host-charger 402 may include a wireless
docking host 220, as described above in relation to FIG. 2, wherein the host function
circuitry 224 may include, at least in part, wireless charging circuitry such as an
inductive charging coil configured to enable wireless charging of a proximate dockee.
[0037] As seen at FIG. 4, an exemplary docking environment may be configured wherein the
host-charger 402 is connected to a monitor/display 404 by way of a physical cable,
and a keyboard 406 and mouse 408 are wirelessly connected to the docking host 402.
With this exemplary configuration, the display 404, keyboard 406, and mouse 408 may
be peripherals 210 in a docking environment 306 managed by the host-charger 402. As
will be discussed in further detail below, a handset/dockee 410 may land upon the
host-charger 402 for charging its battery, as well as for entering into a docking
session with the illustrated docking environment. Here, the dockee 410 may be the
same as the dockee 230 described above in relation to FIG. 2.
[0038] FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating additional detail of one example of a host-charger
402. Here, the host-charger 402 includes wireless charging circuitry 502, a memory
504, a processor 506, a display interface 508 for providing image information to the
display 404, a wireless peripheral interface 510 for communicating with one or more
wireless peripherals such as the keyboard 406 and/or the mouse 408, and a wireless
dockee interface 512 for communicating with one or more wireless dockees 410, 230.
In one example, the processor 506 and the memory 504 may be the same as the corresponding
processor 221 and memory 223 illustrated in the docking host 220 in FIG. 2. Moreover,
the wireless charging circuitry 502 may be included in the host function circuitry
224; and the display interface 508, the wireless peripheral interface 510, and the
wireless dockee interface 512 may be the same as the communication interface 222.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a call flow diagram illustrating an example of a sequence of events that
may occur utilizing the above-described host-charger 402 in the docking environment
illustrated in FIG. 4 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure.
[0040] First, a user with a handset, which may be configured as a wireless dockee 410, may
enter the vicinity of the host-charger 402. Here, at a time prior to a placement of
the dockee 410 onto the host-charger 402, the dockee 410 may detect the existence
of the wireless docking environment hosted by the host-charger 402, and/or conduct
various discovery operations for discovering or identifying services, peripherals,
or other characteristics of the docking environment, e.g., by utilizing the communication
interface 232. This is illustrated with pre-association discovery signal 602 between
the dockee 410 and wireless docking host function of the host-charger 402.
[0041] When the dockee 410 lands on the host-charger 402, a wireless charger coupling 604
may be established between the wireless charging circuitry 502 at the host-charger
402 and the wireless charging circuitry 235 at the dockee 410. In an aspect of the
disclosure, the establishment of this wireless charger coupling 604 may be utilized
as a trigger, to establish a docking session between the dockee 410 and the host-charger
402. Here, if it is the first time that a docking session is to be established between
this dockee 410 and host-charger 402, an initial pairing operation may be undertaken,
for establishing an authentication of credentials between the dockee 410 and the host-charger
402 and an association between the devices.
[0042] To establish the pairing, in one aspect of the disclosure, at 606 the dockee 410
may automatically acquire credential information upon landing on the host-charger
402. For example, the credential information may be transmitted from the host-charger
402 to the dockee 410 utilizing a suitable communication interface. Here, the credential
information may be transferred from the host-charger 402 to the dockee 410 utilizing
the wireless dockee interface 512 (e.g., utilizing BTLE communication). In another
example, the credential information may be transferred from the host-charger 402 to
the dockee 410 utilizing the wireless charging circuitry 502, which may be configured
for near-field communication (NFC). Once the credentials are obtained at the dockee
410, at 608, a dockee-initiated authentication/association operation may be undertaken
between the dockee 410 and the host-charger 402, wherein the dockee 410 utilizes the
credential information received at 606.
[0043] In another aspect of the disclosure, to establish the pairing, the dockee 410 may
perform a Wi-Fi Simple Configuration (WSC) procedure. Here, at 610 the wireless charging
function within the host-charger 402 may communicate, internally, with the integrated
wireless docking host function within the host-charger 402, to signal the docking
intent of the dockee 410. At this point, at 612 a docking host-initiated authentication/association
operation may be undertaken between the dockee 410 and the host-charger 402.
[0044] Once the pairing is completed, at 614, a wireless connection may be established between
the communication interface 232 at the dockee 410 and the wireless dockee interface
512 at the host-charger 402, corresponding to the initiation of a docking session.
Here, the user of the dockee 410 may begin utilizing the peripherals (e.g., the keyboard
406, the mouse 408, and the display 404) corresponding to the docking environment.
[0045] During the duration of the docking session, at any time the user of the dockee 410
may pick up the dockee 410, e.g., for a phone call, without implementing an undocking
procedure. That is, even though the dockee 410 is not landed on the host-charger 402,
in an aspect of the disclosure, the wireless connection between the communication
interface 232 at the dockee 410 and the wireless dockee interface 512 at the host-charger
402 may be maintained. During this time, while the dockee 410 is removed from the
host-charger 402, it is possible that another user may land their own handset onto
the host-charger 402. In one example, the wireless charging circuitry 502 at the host-charger
402 may continue to function, enabling this second handset to be charged; however,
in this example, no docking session need be established between the host-charger 402
and the second handset. Rather, the docking session may be maintained between the
dockee 410 and the host-charger 402. Thus, if and when the dockee 410 re-lands on
the host-charger 402, a wireless charger coupling may be reestablished, re-enabling
charging of the dockee 410 while the docking session is maintained.
[0046] To un-dock the first handset 310 from the docking session, in one aspect of the disclosure,
shown at 616, the user of the dockee 410 may implement explicit instructions to un-dock
from the host-charger 402, e.g., utilizing the user interface 234 at the dockee 410.
Of course, in another example, such an explicit instruction to terminate the docking
session may be implemented utilizing one or more peripherals of the docking environment,
such as the keyboard 406, the mouse 408, and/or the display 404.
[0047] In another aspect of the disclosure, the user may pick up their handset (i.e., the
dockee 410) and leave the vicinity of the host-charger 402, causing a ceasing of communication
between the communication interface 232 at the dockee 410 and the wireless dockee
interface 512 at the host-charger 402. According to an aspect of the disclosure, this
traffic inactivity may eventually result in the expiration of a traffic inactivity
timer at the host-charger 402. As a result, the host-charger 402 may determine that
there is no traffic activity for a certain length of time (e.g., a predetermined length
of time), and accordingly, at 618 a docking host-initiated undocking procedure may
commence, terminating the docking session between the dockee 410 and the host-charger
402.
Wireless Charger as a Peripheral
[0048] FIG. 7 is a simplified schematic diagram illustrating another aspect of the disclosure
that includes a wireless charger 702 that functions as a peripheral device in a docking
environment. For example, the wireless charger 702 may be the same as the peripheral
210 illustrated in FIG. 2, wherein the peripheral function circuitry 214 includes,
at least in part, wireless charging circuitry as described above.
[0049] In a further aspect of the disclosure, a docking host may be embedded in, or otherwise
attached or coupled to a monitor/display 704. That is, referring now to FIG. 8, a
wireless docking host-display 704 according to an aspect of the disclosure may include
not only a display device 802, but additionally, a memory 804 and processor 806 for
implementing the functionality of the docking host; a wireless dockee interface 808
for communication with one or more dockees such as a dockee 710 during a docking session;
and a wireless peripheral interface 810 for communicating with one or more peripherals,
such as the wireless charger 702, a keyboard 706, and a mouse 708. In one example,
the processor 806 and the memory 804 may be the same as the corresponding processor
221 and memory 223 illustrated in the docking host 220 in FIG. 2. Moreover, the wireless
dockee interface 808 and the wireless peripheral interface 810 may be the same as
the communication interface 222. Of course, this is merely one example described in
detail for illustrative purposes, and in various examples within the scope of the
disclosure, the docking host may be communicatively coupled with the display in any
suitable fashion known to those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0050] Referring once again to FIG. 7, an exemplary docking environment may be configured
wherein the host-display 704 may host a docking environment that includes, as peripherals,
the wireless charger 702, a keyboard 706, and a mouse 708. As will be discussed in
further detail below, the handset/dockee 710 may land upon the peripheral wireless
charger 702 for charging its battery, as well as for entering into a docking session
with the illustrated docking environment.
[0051] In accordance with some aspects of the disclosure, at least two different use cases
may exist for the establishment of a docking environment by landing the dockee 710
on the wireless charger 702. In a first example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the wireless
charger 702 may be used to help the dockee 710 to dock with the docking host-display
704. In a second example, the use of the wireless charger 702 by the dockee 710 may
need to be authorized by the docking host.
[0052] FIG. 9 is a call flow diagram illustrating a first example of a sequence of events
that may occur utilizing the above-described wireless charger 702 in the docking environment
illustrated in FIG. 7 in accordance with an aspect of the disclosure. In this example,
an initial docking session is utilized to establish the wireless charger 702 as a
peripheral in a wireless docking environment offered by this wireless docking host
(i.e., the host-display 704), and as an illustrative example, the wireless charger
704 is utilized by the dockee 710 for charging in a subsequent docking session.
[0053] As a peripheral device 210, the wireless charger 702 may include a communication
interface (e.g., the communication interface 212) for communicating with the wireless
docking host-display 704. Further, the host-display 704 may be capable of informing
the dockee 710 that the wireless charger 702 is one of its peripherals, e.g., by way
of its wireless dockee interface 808. Still further, the dockee 710 may be enabled
to identify a coupled wireless charger 702 with its detected wireless docking environment,
e.g., as communicated to the dockee 710 by way of the host-display 704. Further, the
dockee 710 may include functionality to couple with the wireless charger 702, as described
below, as a trigger to establish the docking session.
[0054] Referring now to the call flow diagram of FIG. 9, the wireless charger 702 is shown
being paired with the docking host 704 as a peripheral in a docking environment, as
illustrated at 902. At this time, an initial docking session may be established. That
is, the user in possession of the dockee 710 may enter the vicinity of the wireless
charger 702. Here, the dockee 710 may detect the existence of the wireless docking
environment hosted by the host-display 704, wherein, as described above, the wireless
docking environment includes the wireless charger 702 as a peripheral. Thus, at 904,
a pre-association discovery phase may occur between the docking host 704 and the handset
710. As described above, the pre-association discovery phase may include the dockee
710 detecting the existence of the wireless docking environment hosted by the host-display
704, and/or conducting various discovery operations for discovering or identifying
services, peripherals, or other characteristics of the docking environment, e.g.,
by utilizing the communication interface 232.
[0055] Here, since this initial docking session establishment is the first time that a docking
session is to be established between this dockee 710 and this host-display 704, an
initial pairing operation may be undertaken. To this end, an authentication and association
operation 906 may be undertaken between the dockee 710 and the host-display 704 for
establishing an authentication of credentials between the dockee 710 and the host-display
704 and an association between the devices.
[0056] Once the docking session 908 is established, the dockee 710 may record the wireless
charger 702 as a peripheral in the wireless docking environment offered by the host-display
704, and thereby the dockee 710 may begin using the peripherals connected to the docking
host (e.g., the keyboard, the mouse, the display, and the wireless charger 702).
[0057] At 910, the dockee 710 may undock from the host-display 704 as described above, e.g.,
either by the user picking up the dockee 710 and leaving the vicinity of the docking
host 704 for a predetermined length of time, or by an explicit undocking procedure
undertaken by the user of the dockee 710.
[0058] In an aspect of the disclosure, with this docking environment information stored
at the dockee 710, the docking environment including the wireless charger 702 may
be a persistent docking environment, the subsequent establishment of which may be
triggered by the landing of the dockee 710 on the wireless charger 702, as described
below.
[0059] In this example, the user may subsequently approach the vicinity of the wireless
charger 702 with the dockee 710, at which time a pre-association discovery operation
912 may again take place between the dockee 710 and the host-display 704, as described
above. Here, because the dockee 710 and the host-display 704 have previously established
a docking session, as described above, the wireless charger 702 is recorded at the
dockee 710 as a peripheral in the wireless docking environment. Thus, once the dockee
710 lands on the wireless charger 702, such that the wireless charger coupling 914
occurs between the dockee 710 and the wireless charger 702, the dockee 710 may initiate
a dockee-triggered authentication and association operation 916, utilizing credential
information stored at the dockee 710 during the initial docking session, described
above. At this time, the docking session 918 may commence between the dockee 710 and
the docking host 704.
[0060] Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the above-described example,
including the utilization of a persistent docking environment, is merely illustrative
in nature and is not intended to be limiting on the paradigm of utilizing the landing
of the dockee 710 upon the wireless charger 702 as a trigger to initiate the establishment
of a docking session. That is, the landing of the dockee 710 on the wireless charger
702 may trigger the establishment of any suitable docking session, including but not
limited to an initial docking session, a subsequent docking session, a persistent
docking session, etc.
[0061] FIG. 10 is a call flow diagram illustrating a second example of a sequence of events
that may occur in use of the wireless charger 702 in the docking environment illustrated
in FIG. 7 in accordance with another aspect of the disclosure.
[0062] In this example, the wireless charger 702 may be configured to perform an authentication
procedure with the dockee 710 before enabling a wireless charging operation. To this
end, as described below, the dockee 710 may enter into a docking session utilizing
a docking environment that includes the wireless charger 702 as a peripheral, prior
to enabling the wireless charger 702 to charge the dockee 710. That is, in accordance
with an aspect of the disclosure, a charging function corresponding to the wireless
charger 702 may be disabled until such time as the wireless dockee 710 enters into
a docking session with the wireless docking host-display 704. In this way, the wireless
docking host-display 704 may be enabled to act as a credential registrar for the wireless
charger 702, in order to authenticate and authorize the dockee 710 to use the wireless
charger 702.
[0063] Finally, in some examples, the wireless charger 702 may be required to check with
the wireless docking host 704 to determine the handset's docking status, to determine
whether to continue charging the handset 710.
[0064] Referring now to the call flow diagram of FIG. 10, the wireless charger 702 is shown
being paired with the docking host 704 as a peripheral in a docking environment, as
illustrated at 1002. At this time, a docking session may be established. That is,
the user in possession of the dockee 710 may detect the existence of the wireless
docking environment hosted by the host/monitor 704, wherein, as described above, the
wireless docking environment includes the wireless charger 702 as a peripheral. Thus,
at 1004, a pre-association discovery phase may occur between the docking host 704
and the handset 710. As described above, the pre-association discovery phase may include
the dockee 710 detecting the existence of the wireless docking environment hosted
by the host-display 704, and/or conducting various discovery operations for discovering
or identifying services, peripherals, or other characteristics of the docking environment,
e.g., by utilizing the communication interface 232.
[0065] At 1006, an authentication and association operation may be undertaken between the
dockee 710 and the host-display 704 for establishing an authentication of credentials
between the dockee 710 and the host-display 704 and an association between the devices.
[0066] Once the docking session 1008 is established, the user of the dockee 710 may begin
utilizing the peripherals connected to the docking host 704, such as the keyboard,
mouse, and display, as well as the wireless charger. In an aspect of the disclosure,
to provide functionality at the wireless charger 702, at 1010, after the user lands
the dockee 710 on the wireless charger 702, a wireless charger link authentication
operation may be undertaken between the wireless charger 702 and the dockee 710. For
example, communication between the dockee 710 and the wireless charger 702 may take
place upon landing on the wireless charger 702, wherein the communication may include
NFC or other suitable communication. This communication may include, for example a
request from the dockee 710 for authentication to utilize the wireless charging function.
[0067] Here, at 1012, authentication utilizing the host-display 704 as a credential registrar
may be undertaken, wherein, for example, the wireless charger 702 may request credential
information corresponding to the dockee 710 from the host-display 704. Here, the host-display
704 may provide credential information corresponding to the dockee 710 to the wireless
charger 702, indicating that the wireless charging function at the wireless charger
702 is authorized for the dockee 710.
[0068] Once the dockee 710 has been authenticated to the wireless charger 702, a wireless
charger coupling 1014 between the wireless charger 702 and the dockee 710 may be established,
such that, at 1016, the dockee 710 may charge its battery.
[0069] FIGs. 11-14 are flow charts illustrating certain exemplary processes for establishing
a docking session with a docking environment that includes a wireless charger, in
accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.
[0070] For example, FIG. 11 describes a process that may be operable by a dockee 410 and
a docking host-charger 402 as illustrated in FIG. 4. In the illustrated process 1100,
at step 1102, as the dockee 410 approaches the wireless docking host-charger 402,
by virtue of their respective communication interfaces (e.g., Wi-Fi, BTLE, or any
other suitable wireless communication technology), a pre-association discovery process
may take place, wherein the dockee 410 may detect the existence of the wireless docking
environment hosted by the host-charger 402, and/or conduct various discovery operations
for discovering or identifying services, peripherals, or other characteristics of
the docking environment. Either during this discovery procedure, or after its completion,
at step 1104 the dockee 410 may land on the wireless charger portion of the host-charger
402. For example, after entering the room in which the host-charger 402 is located,
the user may place the dockee in their possession onto the wireless charger portion
of the host-charger 402, e.g., with an intent to charge the battery of the dockee,
and/or to utilize one or more peripherals in the associated docking environment.
[0071] In response to the landing of the dockee 410 on the host-charger 402, at step 1106
the wireless docking host-charger 402 may transmit credential information to the dockee
410. In one example, the wireless docking host-charger 402 may utilize its wireless
dockee interface 512 to transmit the credential information to the dockee 410. For
example, the pre-association discovery phase described above at step 1102 may establish
a channel on which the credential information may be carried. In another example,
the wireless docking host-charger 402 may utilize its wireless charging circuitry
502, which may be configured for NFC, to transmit the credential information to the
dockee 410.
[0072] At step 1108, the dockee 410 may transmit the credential information (or information
corresponding thereto) back to the wireless docking host-charger 402, and at step
1110, the wireless docking host-charger may dock the dockee 410 with a suitable docking
environment in accordance with the received credential information. That is, by utilizing
the credential information received at step 1106, the dockee 410 may initiate an authentication/association
operation to establish a secure docking session with the wireless docking host-charger
402.
[0073] FIG. 12 describes another process that may be operable by a dockee 410 and a docking
host-charger 402 as illustrated in FIG. 4. In the illustrated process 1200, at step
1202, the as the dockee 410 approaches the wireless docking host-charger 402, by virtue
of their respective communication interfaces (e.g., Wi-Fi, BTLE, or any other suitable
wireless communication technology), a pre-association discovery process may take place,
wherein the dockee 410 may detect the existence of the wireless docking environment
hosted by the host-charger 402, and/or conduct various discovery operations for discovering
or identifying services, peripherals, or other characteristics of the docking environment.
Either during this discovery procedure, or after its completion, at step 1204 the
dockee 410 may land on the wireless charger portion of the host-charger 402. For example,
after entering the room in which the host-charger 402 is located, the user may place
the dockee in their possession onto the wireless charger portion of the host-charger
402, e.g., with an intent to charge the battery of the dockee, and/or to utilize one
or more peripherals in the associated docking environment.
[0074] In response to the landing of the dockee 410 on the host-charger 402, at step 1206,
wireless charging circuitry 502 at the host-charger 402 may couple with a wireless
charging interface at the dockee 410. Further, at step 1208, wireless charging circuitry
502 at the wireless docking host-charger 402 may transmit information indicating a
docking intent of the dockee 410 to docking circuitry (e.g., the processor 506) at
the wireless docking host-charger 402. For example, any suitable information may indicate
the docking intent of the dockee 410, such as an information element configured to
indicate the docking intent and/or other information corresponding to the dockee 410,
or any suitable symbol that the host-charger 402 may take as indicating the docking
intent. Thus, at step 1210, the dockee 410 may dock with a docking environment in
accordance with the docking intent of the dockee 410.
[0075] FIG. 13 describes a process that may be operable by a dockee 710 and a wireless docking
host (e.g., the host-display 704) as illustrated in FIG. 7. In the illustrated process
1300, at step 1302, a pairing may be established between a wireless charger 702 and
the wireless docking host-display 704. Accordingly, the docking host may have the
wireless charger 702 available for use as a peripheral in a suitable docking environment.
[0076] At step 1304, the wireless dockee 710 may establish a first (initial) docking session
with the wireless docking host-display 704. As described above in relation to FIG.
9, the establishment of the initial docking session may include pre-association discovery,
authentication and association between the dockee 710 and the docking host 704, and
docking. Accordingly, at step 1306, the dockee 710 may store credential information
in accordance with the docking session. Later, at step 1308, based on the user leaving
with the dockee 710, causing the expiration of an inactivity timer, or the user explicitly
terminating the docking session by way of an instruction, the initial docking session
may terminate.
[0077] At step 1310, the user may return with dockee 710, and may land the dockee 710 on
the wireless charger, thereby establishing a coupling with the wireless charger utilizing
the wireless charging interface at the dockee. At step 1312, the dockee 710 may transmit
the stored credential information to the docking host 702 in response to the landing
on the wireless charger. For example, the dockee 710 may utilize its wireless docking
host interface for the transmission of the stored credential information. Thereby,
the dockee 710 may dock with the docking environment that includes the wireless charger
as a peripheral, in accordance with the transmitted credential information.
[0078] FIG. 14 describes another process that may be operable by a dockee 710 and a wireless
docking host (e.g., the host-display 704) as illustrated in FIG. 7. In the illustrated
process 1400, at step 1402, a pairing may be established between a wireless charger
702 and the wireless docking host-display 704. Accordingly, the docking host may have
the wireless charger 702 available for use as a peripheral in a suitable docking environment.
[0079] At step 1404, the wireless dockee 710 may establish a docking session with the wireless
docking host-display 704. As described above in relation to FIG. 10, the establishment
of the docking session may include pre-association discovery, authentication and association
between the dockee 710 and the docking host 704, and docking.
[0080] Once the docking session is established, at step 1406, the dockee 710 may land on
the wireless charger 702. Accordingly, at step 1408, the wireless charger 702 may
transmit information to the docking host-display 704 indicating that the dockee 710
landed on the wireless charger 702. In various examples, the information transmitted
from the wireless charger 702 to the docking host-display 704 may be carried over
the air utilizing any suitable communication interface, including but not limited
to a wireless dockee interface 808 configured for NFC, or a wireless peripheral interface
810 configured for Wi-Fi or BTLE communication. In response to the information transmitted
in step 1408, at step 1410 the docking host-display 704 may transmit an authorization
to the wireless charger 702, indicating that a wireless charging function is authorized.
Accordingly, at step 1412, the wireless charger 702 may enable the wireless charging
function for charging the dockee 710.
[0081] Several aspects of a wireless docking system have been presented with reference to
a system utilizing IEEE 802.11 "Wi-Fi" communication protocols. As those skilled in
the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure
may be extended to other communication systems, network architectures and communication
standards. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or communication
standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints
imposed on the system.
[0082] It is to be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods
disclosed is an illustration of exemplary processes. Based upon design preferences,
it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods may
be rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps
in a sample order, and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy
presented unless specifically recited therein.
[0083] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice
the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will
be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined
herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited
to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with
the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not
intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but rather "one
or more." Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to one or more.
A phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination
of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of: a, b, or
c" is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b and c.
1. Ein Verfahren, das an einem Andock-Host bzw. Docking-Host (220) betreibbar ist zum
Andocken einer andockenden Einheit bzw. eines Dockee (230) an einer Andockumgebung,
die durch den Docking-Host (220) verwaltet wird, wobei das Verfahren Folgendes aufweist:
Koppeln einer Drahtlosladevorrichtung mit dem Docking-Host, so dass die Drahtlosladevorrichtung
ein Peripheriegerät in der Docking-Umgebung ist, die durch den Docking-Host verwaltet
wird;
Senden von Anmeldedateninformation bzw. Berechtigungsnachweisinformation von dem Docking-Host
(220) an den Dockee (230) ansprechend auf ein Ankommen des Dockee (230) an der Drahtlosladevorrichtung
(402);
Empfangen einer Anfrage von dem Dockee (230) eine Authentifizierungs-/Assoziationsoperation
mit dem Dockee (230) zu initiieren;
Andocken des Dockee (230) an der Docking-Umgebung gemäß der Anmeldedateninformation,
wodurch eine Docking-Sitzung nach einer erfolgreichen Authentifizierungs- oder Assoziationsoperation,
die Aufbauen einer Drahtlosverbindung entspricht, initiiert wird; und
Beenden des Andockens des Dockee (230) an die Docking-Umgebung ansprechend auf einen
Ablauf eines Inaktivitäts-Timers, der eine Inaktivität einer Kommunikationsschnittstelle
zum Kommunizieren mit dem Dockee (230) anzeigt.
2. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei die Drahtlosladeschaltkreise (502) für Nahfeldkommunikation
konfiguriert sind, und wobei das Senden von Anmeldedateninformation Nutzen der Drahtlosladeschaltkreise
(502) aufweist.
3. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Senden von Anmeldedateninformation Nutzen von
einem von einer BTLE-Kommunikationsschnittstelle (BTLE = Blluetooth Low Energy) oder
einer Wi-Fi-Kommunikationsschnittstelle aufweist.
4. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, wobei das Andocken des Dockee (230) an der Docking-Umgebung
Nutzen von einem von einer BTLE-Kommunikationsschnittstelle (BTLE = Bluetooth Low
Energy) oder einer Wi-Fi-Kommunikationsschnittstelle aufweist.
5. Verfahren nach Anspruch 1, das weiter Folgendes aufweist:
Aufnehmen einer anderen Einrichtung als des Dockee (230) an der Drahtlosladevorrichtung
(402), während der Dockee (230) in der Docking-Umgebung angedockt bleibt; und
Laden der Einrichtung unter Nutzung der Drahtlosladevorrichtung (402) ohne Andocken
an der Einrichtung.
6. Ein Verfahren, das an einer andockenden Einheit bzw. einem Dockee (230) betreibbar
ist zum Andocken an einer Andock- bzw. Docking-Umgebung, die durch einen Andock- bzw.
Docking-Host (220) verwaltet wird, wobei das Verfahren Folgendes aufweist:
Empfangen von Anmeldedateninformation bzw. Berechtigungsnachweisinformation von dem
Docking-Host (220) ansprechend auf ein Ankommen des Dockee an einer Drahtlosladevorrichtung
(402), wobei die Drahtlosladevorrichtung ein Peripheriegerät in der Docking-Umgebung
ist, die durch den Docking-Host verwaltet wird;
Senden einer Anfrage zum Initiieren einer Authentifizierungs-/Assoziationsoperation
mit dem Docking-Host (220);
Andocken an der Docking-Umgebung gemäß der Anmeldedateninformation, wodurch eine Docking-Sitzung
nach einer erfolgreichen Authentifizierungs- oder Assoziationsoperation, die Einrichten
einer Drahtlosverbindung entspricht, initiiert wird;
Beenden des Andockens des Dockee (230) an der Docking-Umgebung ansprechend auf einen
Ablauf eines Inaktivitäts-Timers, der eine Inaktivität einer Kommunikationsschnittstelle
zum Kommunizieren mit dem Dockee (230) anzeigt.
7. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, wobei die Drahtlosladeschnittstelle (502) für Nahfeldkommunikation
konfiguriert ist, und wobei das Empfangen von Anmeldedateninformation Nutzen der Drahtlosladeschnittstelle
(502) aufweist.
8. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, wobei das Empfangen von Anmeldedateninformation Nutzen
von einem von einer BTLE-Kommunikationsschnittstelle (BTLE = Bluetooth Low Energy)
oder einer Wi-Fi-Kommunikationsschnittstelle aufweist.
9. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, wobei das Andocken an der Docking-Umgebung Nutzen von einem
von einer BTLE-Kommunikationsschnittstelle (BTLE = Bluetooth Low Energy) oder einer
Wi-Fi-Kommunikationsschnittstelle aufweist.
10. Verfahren nach Anspruch 6, das weiter Folgendes aufweist:
Aufrechterhalten des Andockens an der Docking-Umgebung, während des Entfernens von
der Drahtlosladevorrichtung (402).
11. Ein Andock-Host bzw. Docking-Host (220), der zum Andocken einer andockenden Einheit
bzw. eines Dockee (230) an einer Docking-Umgebung konfiguriert ist, die durch den
Docking-Host (220) verwaltet wird, der Folgendes aufweist:
Mittel zum Koppeln einer Drahtlosladevorrichtung mit dem Docking-Host, so dass die
Drahtlosladevorrichtung ein Peripheriegerät in der Docking-Umgebung ist, die durch
den Docking-Host verwaltet wird;
Mittel zum Senden von Anmeldedateninformation bzw. Berechtigungsnachweisinformation
von dem Docking-Host (220) an den Dockee (230) ansprechend auf ein Ankommen des Dockee
(230) an der Drahtlosladevorrichtung (402);
Mittel zum Empfangen einer Anfrage von dem Dockee (230) eine Authentifizierungs-/Assoziationsoperation
mit dem Dockee (230) zu initiieren;
Mittel zum Andocken des Dockee (230) an der Docking-Umgebung gemäß der Anmeldedateninformation,
wodurch eine Docking-Sitzung nach einer erfolgreichen Authentifizierungs- oder Assoziationsoperation,
die Aufbauen einer Drahtlosverbindung entspricht, initiiert wird; und
Mittel zum Beenden des Andockens des Dockee (230) an die Docking-Umgebung ansprechend
auf einen Ablauf eines Inaktivitäts-Timers, der eine Inaktivität einer Kommunikationsschnittstelle
zum Kommunizieren mit dem Dockee (230) anzeigt.
12. Eine andockende Einheit bzw. ein Dockee (230), die bzw. der konfiguriert ist zum Andocken
an einer Docking-Umgebung, die durch einen Andock-Host bzw. Docking-Host (220) verwaltet
wird, die bzw. der Folgendes aufweist:
Mittel zum Empfangen von Anmeldedateninformation bzw. Berechtigungsnachweisinformation
von dem Docking-Host (220) ansprechend auf ein Ankommen des Dockee (230) an einer
Drahtlosladevorrichtung (402), wobei die Drahtlosladevorrichtung ein Peripheriegerät
in der Docking-Umgebung ist, die durch den Docking-Host verwaltet wird;
Mittel zum Senden einer Anfrage zum Initiieren einer Authentifizierungs-/Assoziationsoperation
mit dem Docking-Host (220);
Mittel zum Andocken an der Docking-Umgebung gemäß der Anmeldedateninformation, wodurch
eine Docking-Sitzung nach einer erfolgreichen Authentifizierungs- oder Assoziationsoperation,
die Einrichten einer Drahtlosverbindung entspricht, initiiert wird; und
Mittel zum Beenden des Andockens des Dockee (230) an der Docking-Umgebung ansprechend
auf einen Ablauf eines Inaktivitäts-Timers, der eine Inaktivität einer Kommunikationsschnittstelle
zum Kommunizieren mit dem Dockee (230) anzeigt.
13. Ein computerlesbares Speichermedium, das Instruktionen zum Durchführen eines Verfahrens
gemäß einem der Ansprüche 1 bis 10 aufweist.